NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
[DATE]
[Insert your information here:
Local Project Director, Title and Organization
Phone Number and Email
Website]
Presentation Explores Lives of Free-Born Children after Civil War
[Community Name] – [Organization Name] in [Community Name] will host “Children
of the Promised Land,” a presentation and discussion by Angela Bates on [Date] at
[Time] at [Location and Address of Presentation]. Members of the community are
invited to attend the free program. Contact the [Host Organization Name] at [Phone
Number] for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas
Humanities Council.
[List any details about local event here]
Nicodemus, a small unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining
western town that was established by African Americans during the Reconstruction
Period following the Civil War. The presentation will be a pictorial history that
explores the unique experiences of the children of Nicodemus who were the first
members of their families born free from the physical and psychological effects of
slavery.
Angela Bates is the executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society. She
presents educational programs across the nation covering Nicodemus, Exodusters
and black towns in the West, Buffalo Soldiers, and black women in the West.
“My great uncle, Henry Williams, was the first baby born in Nicodemus just a month
after my great-grand mother Emma arrived with the first group of settlers in 1877,”
said Bates. “He was one of the first in his generation born on the free soils of Kansas.
He represents the many children of his generation that were reared by parents who
were former slaves.”
“Children of the Promised Land” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Kansas
Stories Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and discussions that examine our
shared human experience—our innovations, culture, heritage, and conflicts.
-MORE-
Page 2 – Presentation Explores Lives of Free-Born Children after Civil War
The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs,
serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and
encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities. For
more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at
785/357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.
For more information about “Children of the Promised Land” in [Community] contact
the [Host Organization] at [Phone Number] or visit [Website].
###